94 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
recourse to steaming by pouring water on the flues or pipes; 
besides this a quantity of evaporating pans should be continually 
filled with water: stop the shoots at the first joint above the 
bunch ; and when the flowers begin to open, the heat may be 
increased to 65° or 68° at night, allowing a rise of 10° by the 
sun ; admit as much air by day as circumstances will allow. It 
is of great service in assisting them to set, to shake the trellis 
every day, thereby causing the pollen to be freely distributed 
through the house ; some sorts will not set well unless this pre¬ 
caution be attended to: when they are set, and swelled to the 
size of peas, the operation of thinning may be performed; but 
as no rule can be set down for that, I will leave it to the judg¬ 
ment of the operator, merely observing, that such as form large 
shoulders should have them suspended, by small strips of matting, 
to the wires or trellis, to prevent their damping, and to give 
more room for the berries to swell to their proper size. From 
this period till the fruit begins to colour, little more is wanted 
but syringing and stopping the laterals as they appear, breaking 
off close all those which push under the fruit: when the fruit 
begins to colour, the house should be kept as dry as possible, 
and plenty of air admitted till they are all cut. A good washing 
from the engine will be of great service in refreshing and cleans¬ 
ing the leaves, after the fruit is cut: keep the house closed 
till the wood is ripe, when it may be pruned ; afterwards expose 
it night and day, except in severe weather, till the season of 
forcing has again arrived. These remarks may be applied to 
late as well as early forcing, with the exception of covering the 
border, as the sun will in the former case have attained con¬ 
siderable influence, rendering the use of fermenting materials 
unnecessary ; a coating of short dung will, however, be of great 
service, as the rain during the summer months will wash down 
to the roots the nutriment it contains ; at the same time it will 
encourage the roots towards the surface, and prevent the sun 
from exerting too powerful an influence upon them. 
I am no advocate for washing the vine with any composition, 
unless necessity requires it for the destruction of insects; in 
such cases it is unavoidable. The following method I have seen 
practised with great success, in eradicating the brown scales :— 
take off the loose bark, then wash with soft soap dissolved in hot 
water, using a hard brush, and taking care not to hurt the buds ; 
afterwards apply hot lime made to the consistency of thick 
